Chow Mein

From chow mein to moo goo gai pan, the Chinese are noted for their skill in preparing chicken. But the newest dish in Beijing featuring this versatile bird isn't a native concoction. It's an American favorite -- fried chicken.When a three-story Kentucky Fried Chicken opens its doors in November, the Chinese will eat fast food Western-style for the first time. They'll also do it on a grand scale: With 500 seats, this restaurant will be the largest such outlet in the world.One giant leap for chicken, one small step for relations between the United States and China.

HALEIWA, Oahu - If you've vacationed in Hawaii, you know the come-hither scent of flowers, the trade winds cooling the peaks and the warmth of the southern ocean. Now imagine growing up here, where Barack Obama was born, exposed from the first to a culture where the impossible has evolved: a multi-racial society, tolerant of differences and busily pursuing the delights and challenges of daily life. For voters still wondering why Obama stays cool, thinks things through and keeps an eye focused on peaceful solutions, look toward the 50th state.

The latest addition to Lake County's fast food community doesn't serve hamburgers, milkshakes or French fries. But they do serve shrimp foo young, Hong Kong duck and chop suey.Captain Ho's, at 1105 North 14th St. in Leesburg, is Lake County's first fast-food Chinese restaurant.The restaurant, which opened July 21, offers a large selection of Chinese dishes, carefully prepared and priced to fit the working person's budget.''We wanted to give people a change from traditional fast food,'' said manager Walter Cheng.

Sorting out which wine goes with which food has grown easier of late. You can find help in books, classes and online -- and even in a chat with a favorite wine retailer. Books on wine and food matching have been hot. Some to consider include Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein, Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer Robinson, and What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Goldstein's book features recipes by his mother, Joyce Goldstein, a San Francisco chef and author.

Whoever said ''A little goes a long way'' probably coined that phrase after eating at Mount Dora's China Star.The restaurant, at 49 Old Highway 441 in the Golden Triangle Shopping Center, serves what undoubtedly must be Lake County's most economical (and most delicious) Chinese food.A full lunch can be had for about $3 and dinner prices are low as well.The dinner menu features traditional favorites such as Moo Goo Gai Pan ($5.75); chop suey with chicken, roast pork, shrimp or beef ($4.65-$5.

Where once there were none, west Volusia now boasts several Chinese and Oriental restaurants, but with a history of almost 10 years in business, Won Lee is the granddaddy of them all.Opened in February 1978 in a building that formerly housed Jack's Boulevard Restaurant at 1329 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, the establishment is operated by the locally-owned Won Lee Corp., whose president is William Lee.The restaurant is undergoing major construction, and Lee said the project will result in expanded seating including private dining rooms for party and meeting purposes.

Another of the Chinese restaurants that are doing business in west Volusia County is the Rickshaw, a Chinese-American eatery in Justin Square, Deltona. But, unlike many of the current collection of Chinese establishments in the area, it isn't a newcomer; it has been in operation since December 1984.It also provides some amenities that few Chinese restaurants offer, such as breakfast -- a service added about six weeks ago -- from 6:30 to 11 a.m. daily (except Sunday until noon), and delivery in DeBary and Deltona, available from 5 p.m. until closing every day.Takeout is popular at Rickshaw, and orders are taken in an area separate from the dining room.

Su's Garden is the third Chinese restaurant to open at 1725 S. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, and its owner hopes it will have more staying power than its predecessors. It could, if the record established by the owner's family is an indication.Jemmy Su, who opened the DeLand restaurant on Feb. 9, has two other Chinese eateries, in Naples and Marco Island. And of the 12 Chinese restaurants operating in that area, his family owns seven, Su said.He is a native of Taiwan, where he was a quality control foreman for an electrical company.

To me, the true test of a Chinese restaurant lies not in the quality of it's sweet-and-sour chicken or moo shu pork, but in its won-ton soup, egg rolls and fried rice.Those are the basic staples and if they're great, you can assume that the rest of the menu will follow suit.Wang's Garden, in Leesburg, passes the test with flying colors. The wonton soup and egg rolls are fresh and light, and the pork-fried rice is among the best I've had.The restaurant should be a welcome addition to Leesburg's dining community, despite the jinx that seems to accompany its location.

In keeping with her restaurant's imperial theme, Bernadette Yau said customers of the Emporer's Wok are treated like royalty.The restaurant, in the Mill Creek Plaza on East Vine Street, Kissimmee, is owned by Yau and her husband, Peter Yau, and features Cantonese and Szechuan-style Chinese food in a pleasant, homey atmosphere.The Emporer's Wok moved to Kissimmee in 1988, with previous locations in St. Cloud (1982-83) and Buenaventura Lakes (1985-88). Before this business, Peter Yau owned a similar restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.

Panda escapes from mall! Panda Express, a chain of pseudo-Sino eateries usually found in the innocuous confines of a mall food court, has opened an outlet in a free-standing building on Millenia Boulevard well away from the shopping center. Why am I the only one frightened by this? This is another attempt to capitalize on the growing popularity of Asian eateries whose food has little or nothing to do with Asia. Many of you have only yourself to blame because you, against all reason, eat at these places.

I had every intention of going inside to order my food at Wonderful Chinese Express in Altamonte Springs. I had had enough bad experiences with drive-through windows at Chinese restaurants that I had sworn them off for good.But it was raining so hard when I pulled into the parking lot that I didn't want to leave my car. So I drove around to the ordering station and rolled the window down just enough to shout my order without getting soaked.I looked over the list of items printed on the menu board, a confusing array of appetizers and entrees that are categorized for lunch and dinner with different prices for each.

No good chop-chop. Perhaps you recall that just about a year ago, I lost my upper plate to the midnight-snack mania of my hungry chow, Wanda the Burger Queen. There she was in my darkened living room, munching on a dental plate gone awry. Sixteen pieces of awryness.Over the weekend, Chip England of Melbourne told me a story about his mother to which I could relate. Ran into Chip at Rick's, a food and beverage way station at Lake Washington Crossing in Melbourne. He kept several of us in stitches with his tale of ''The Day Chip's Mom Chose to Dine Chinese and Lost Her Choppers in the Chow Mein.

If you believe variety is the spice of life, sample some of the spicy entrees at The Eustis Chinese-American Restaurant located in the Eustis Square Shopping Center.The eatery's selection of Chinese, Cantonese, Szechuan and Hunan dishes is diverse enough to please any palate.The menu features the traditional hot delicacies, but upon request the restaurant will tone down the spices.For those who prefer milder Chinese dishes, there are a number of entrees, including chicken chow mein and sweet-and-sour pork.

In keeping with her restaurant's imperial theme, Bernadette Yau said customers of the Emporer's Wok are treated like royalty.The restaurant, in the Mill Creek Plaza on East Vine Street, Kissimmee, is owned by Yau and her husband, Peter Yau, and features Cantonese and Szechuan-style Chinese food in a pleasant, homey atmosphere.The Emporer's Wok moved to Kissimmee in 1988, with previous locations in St. Cloud (1982-83) and Buenaventura Lakes (1985-88). Before this business, Peter Yau owned a similar restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.

One of Osceola County's undiscovered treasures has just been discovered. It goes by the name ''Cheng's Chinese Restaurant,'' and is located in a small shopping center along Boggy Creek Road in the Buenaventura Lakes subdivision. Most passersby probably only know it as ''Chinese Restaurant,'' since that's the main sign that can be seen from the road.Once inside, customers get the full service treatment. The decor is tastefully Oriental, with a quaint wooden footbridge leading into the main dining area.

Tai Won joined the ranks of Chinese restaurants in west Volusia less than five months ago.Since Dec. 11, it has been serving a complete menu of Chinese specialties, for take-out or on premises at 6 N. U.S. Highway 17-92 in DeBary. That's in the new shopping plaza anchored by Winn-Dixie.This is another of the newer breed of Chinese eateries that makes less use of the color red, although some Chinese art and a lantern or two are in evidence.Also, it is one that makes its own fried noodles, served, as in most Chinese restaurants, in bowls at every table.

If you believe variety is the spice of life, sample some of the spicy entrees at The Eustis Chinese-American Restaurant located in the Eustis Square Shopping Center.The eatery's selection of Chinese, Cantonese, Szechuan and Hunan dishes is diverse enough to please any palate.The menu features the traditional hot delicacies, but upon request the restaurant will tone down the spices.For those who prefer milder Chinese dishes, there are a number of entrees, including chicken chow mein and sweet-and-sour pork.

To me, the true test of a Chinese restaurant lies not in the quality of it's sweet-and-sour chicken or moo shu pork, but in its won-ton soup, egg rolls and fried rice.Those are the basic staples and if they're great, you can assume that the rest of the menu will follow suit.Wang's Garden, in Leesburg, passes the test with flying colors. The wonton soup and egg rolls are fresh and light, and the pork-fried rice is among the best I've had.The restaurant should be a welcome addition to Leesburg's dining community, despite the jinx that seems to accompany its location.

Tai Won joined the ranks of Chinese restaurants in west Volusia less than five months ago.Since Dec. 11, it has been serving a complete menu of Chinese specialties, for take-out or on premises at 6 N. U.S. Highway 17-92 in DeBary. That's in the new shopping plaza anchored by Winn-Dixie.This is another of the newer breed of Chinese eateries that makes less use of the color red, although some Chinese art and a lantern or two are in evidence.Also, it is one that makes its own fried noodles, served, as in most Chinese restaurants, in bowls at every table.